K8MR QSOs with Wild Pokemon at Marconi Site

PublishedAugust 5, 2016

Apparently hoping to befriend the ghost of Guglielmo Marconi, K8MR recently completed a pilgrimage to South Wellfleet, MA, site of the first transatlantic QSO between the US and the UK in 1903 conducted by the famous Italian inventor. Jim carried his Elecraft KX3 transceiver and a portable 160 antenna on his bike and spent several hours attempting to make contact with the apparition. Jim refuses to say whether he completed the QSO but the smile on his face suggests that something happened. Your webmaster believes that Marconi preferred longer wavelengths and that Jim needed an antenna resonant below the BC band. It is more likely that his contact was with a Wild Pokemon monitoring 1830, which, of course, is no mean achievement. See the photo gallery for a shot of Jim behind Gugli’s bronze plaque and for a second photo showing how Jim rewarded himself for his historic QSO.